TTC pushes back after ‘insensitive’ advice
Mayor, agency say they’ve been honest that physical distancing wouldn’t be possible all the time
The TTC is defending its handling of crowding on the transit system after being criticized for telling riders to board another bus if the one they’re on is too full to allow for social distancing.
A Twitter message posted by the transit agency’s customer service account Tuesday advised that “as the city reopens, social distancing will no longer be possible on our vehicles. As such, if you feel that a vehicle you are on is overcrowded, I would suggest getting off and boarding the next one.”
Although TTC officials have warned since at least June that keeping the recommended two metres apart won’t always be possible on its vehicles as ridership rebounds from its pandemic low point, the post sparked controversy, with some on social media accusing the transit agency of abdicating its responsibility to keep passengers safe during the crisis.
Premier Doug Ford criticized the city and TTC for not operating enough service to keep crowding down, suggesting the agency should make use of the emergency pandemic funding the provincial and federal governments committed to transit this summer.
“I want to remind Toronto and the TTC, they ended up getting $400 million because of how hard we fought,” Ford said. “I really went to town on the federal government.”
Mayor John Tory responded at an afternoon press conference that the emergency funding was intended to offset the massive revenue losses suffered by the TTC during the pandemic, and couldn’t be used to purchase the additional buses required to add service.
Earlier in the day, the mayor told CP24 the tweet that set off the controversy was an “insensitive” answer to riders facing “a very difficult circumstance.”
But he said the TTC and the city have been “been totally open and honest” about the fact that as ridership increased “it would no longer be possible to have social distancing,” which is why they made masks mandatory for transit riders. Public health officials recommend wearing masks in settings where physical distancing isn’t possible.
Tory noted that while some vehicles are crowded, TTC statistics show 92 per cent of bus trips have fewer that 25 people on them, meaning the vehicles are half full.
At its lowest point in the spring, TTC ridership dropped to about15 per cent of pre-COVID levels. Ridership systemwide is now at 36 per cent of normal, but it’s returning faster on the bus network, which is at 51 per cent.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said there are now 700,000 bus boardings every day, and with that many riders it’s impossible to enable social distancing on all vehicles, which the agency has said would require strict passenger limits on buses.
“We would need 100,000 buses on the road,” Green said. The TTC’s bus fleet consists of about 2,000 vehicles.
“We have said since June that as ridership increased, physical distancing would not be possible at all times,” Green said, but he added that the agency is taking steps to address crowding.
The TTC is monitoring passenger loads and deploying additional buses on routes as they get crowded, and busy lines like those serving Keele Street, Dufferin Street, Jane Street, Finch Avenue, Lawrence Avenue and Markham Road are “getting more service now than they had pre-pandemic,” according to Green.
Toronto Public Health has not advised residents against taking transit during the pandemic. Instead the agency recommends riders wear a mask, avoid travelling at the busiest times, and keep adistance from other riders “if possible.”
Speaking at the city’s regular COVID-19 press briefing, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen De Villa suggested some level of crowding on transit is preferable to limiting how many people can ride on a vehicle.
There is a need to strike a balance between “managing COVID-19 risks, and at the same time ensuring that access to services and transportation, including public transit, is available” to those who need it, De Villa said.
In a press release Wednesday, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, which represents the majority of TTC workers, called on the agency to recall about 170 workers who were furloughed earlier in the pandemic.
About 450 employees were temporarily laid off in May, but about 280 have already been recalled.
The TTC is operating at 92 per cent of pre-COVID levels and says it plans to recall the remaining workers and restore 100 per cent service once ridership across the system hits 50 per cent of normal.
“The TTC can put more vehicles on the road tomorrow by bringing back the 168 laid-off workers who are still at home and ready to move Toronto,” said Local 113 president Carlos Santos.
TTC CEO Rick Leary defended the decision to not yet recall the employees, saying in an interview the agency’s revenues are way down during the pandemic and even with emergency aid “we still have some pressures on us that we have to pay attention to.”